


Unforseen Consequences

by queerofthedagger



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark Voldemort, Don't copy to another site, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Getting Together, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Light Harry, M/M, No character bashing, Nobody loses, POV Severus Snape, Somehow it works ok, everybody wins, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21861664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerofthedagger/pseuds/queerofthedagger
Summary: Severus Snape makes a different decision during the Battle of Hogwarts, and suddenly he finds himself mediating negotiations between Harry Potter and the Dark Lord. He's not sure yet that it was the right choice, considering his nerves.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Voldemort
Comments: 21
Kudos: 432
Collections: Chamber of Secrets' Winter Exchange (2019)





	Unforseen Consequences

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LittleAlice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleAlice/gifts).



> Dear Alice, I hope you enjoy this little piece of somewhat-fluff and relationship development from the perspective of your favourite character! I wish you, and everyone else in our beloved seventh circle of hell, aka the brilliant Chamber of Secrets, wonderful holidays. And, of course, to every other reader who finds their way here, too! <3
> 
> Many thanks go to Drei for hosting this fantastic exchange, to Rab for a bit of brainstorming and coming up with the idea of doing it from Snape's POV, and to Bina for her fantastic Beta-work! <3
> 
> Please do not repost my work anywhere or list it on goodreads (or similar sites).

** May 2nd, 1998 **

Severus‘ mark is burning and despite the noise and chaos of the battle that’s raging on all around him, it’s close to impossible to ignore the sharp, twisting pain. He hesitates for a moment, ducks behind a statue and takes a deep breath to think about his decision once more. All the alternatives are worse though, so he grits his teeth against the pain and pulls up his hood.

It might be the most stupid, ridiculously heroic thing he’s done in so many years, but it’s not like Dumbledore is still around to judge him. He just keeps telling himself that it’s pure pettiness that is driving him.

After all, he didn’t protect the Potter brat for years through his increasingly stupid, reckless stunts to see all his hard work go to waste. There has to be another way, and Severus is set on checking all his bases before he gives up. Determination, and all that rot.

Besides, he’s not all that keen to die so soon, and he’s rather certain that that’s exactly what would happen if he ran to the Dark Lord’s side now. He’s noticed the issue with his spells, and he can take a good guess at what his conclusion has to be.

He swiftly moves past duels and ongoing fights, staying in the shadows and keeping an eye out for Potter. Of course, once he needs him, he’s impossibly hard to find and after thirty minutes of wandering around, he sighs to himself and casts a variant of the Point Me spell. He doubts that Potter will notice the tug this spell produces anyway, much less know what it actually is.

It leads him to the seventh-floor corridor, and he arrives just in time to see Potter, his two annoying little friends and, to his surprise, Draco and Goyle fly out of the Room of Requirements, barely escaping a terrifyingly large front of Fiendfyre. He’s rather sure that he doesn’t want to know what happened here.

The good thing is that they’re all too distracted to notice him until he grabs Potter by the back of his jacket and drags him along, ignoring his outraged protest and deflecting the feeble attempts at curses that Weasley and Granger are sending at his back. Merlin, he doesn’t get paid enough for this.

Only when they finally arrive in the Headmaster’s office does he let go of Potter, but locks the door, sets up a Privacy Charm and shoots a Silencio at the three of them. Their glares would have been impressive if he wasn’t so used to them after years of facing these exact expressions.

“Well, now that you can’t help but listen to me – the two of us are going to watch a few memories in the Pensive. If you still want to curse me afterwards, feel free to try. For now, put your resentment aside.”

Potter is still glaring, of course he is, but Severus simply pushes him into the Pensive and, after he takes a deep breath and steels himself, goes in after him.

He could have done without revisiting the rise and fall of his friendship with Lily, but he keeps a close eye on Potter’s expression and can see it shift from anger to confusion, to disbelief and back to anger, now tinged with desperation and revulsion. Not that he can blame him.

When they land back in the office, Potter is pale and trembling, staring at him with wide eyes. “So, I have to die,” he states bluntly, and Severus has to hide a wince at the finality with which he says these words. No matter how little he likes him, no 17-year-old should be this resigned and ready to give his life for everyone else.

“Maybe, or maybe not. It is what Dumbledore planned for you, yes. But there might be another way,” he drawls, ignoring the agitated fidgeting and glares from Granger and Weasley.

“How is there any other way? He can’t die as long as I live – Merlin, I should have realized – I mean, how – “

“Potter,” he snaps, grinding his teeth together. “Do shut up and listen to me, will you?”

Ah, and there it is, the mulish, petulant expression. He pinches the bridge of his nose, ignores another wave of pain that’s shooting up his forearm, more insistent than the last time, and waits until Potter gives a reluctant nod.

“This is what we can do. If the Dark Lord learns about this, he’s not going to kill you, obviously. It does give you leverage over him though, especially because you do seem ready to do what’s necessary. It’s a bit of a stalemate, so you could actually try to negotiate a truce.”

It’s a mad plan if he ever heard of one, and he wonders if all the years under Dumbledore might have rubbed off on him the wrong way, but he’s desperate and they can try at least, can’t they? If it fails, Potter can still die his heroic death, it just won’t be the Dark Lord who kills him.

Potter rubs a hand over his face, and he looks so much older than he should. “Alright, so let me get this straight – no, wait, can you release Ron and Hermione first? I’d like to hear their opinion.”

He considers it for a moment but eventually decides that it can only work to his advantage. They’re probably more eager than he is to not have Potter die already, so with a resigned sigh, he flicks his wand to lift the Silencing Charm on the two of them.

Potter quickly fills them in while Severus taps his wand against his leg impatiently.

Granger seems to get it first and looks thoughtful. “It could work, although I have to say that it’s rather twisted and bordering on insane to basically threaten Voldemort with Harry’s life. But we destroyed all the other Horcruxes except for Nagini, so if he’s not so mad to think that he can simply create another batch of seven, he should be keen to keep these two.”

“So, the idea is that Harry forces him to call a ceasefire and start, what, negotiations about the future of the wizarding world, in exchange for staying alive?” Weasley asks, and while he looks slightly green around the nose, he seems to consider it, what is more than Severus expected if he’s honest.

“Correct. The alternative would be to not let the Dark Lord know and have him kill Potter, so somebody else could deliver the final blow. Granted, that would be far less risky but it would also cost Potter his life,” Severus nods, and hides a grimace at the implication that the boy’s life means anything to him.

Well, they all have to make sacrifices, some more than others.

Granger shoots him a calculating look and he sneers faintly which, much to his dismay, doesn’t seem to deter her, but at least she stays silent.

“Well,” Potter says, running a hand through his hair. “If it fails, I still have time to die, haven’t I? Let’s negotiate with Voldemort. I’d say I had crazier things happen to me but honestly, I’m not sure that’s still true.”

“One moment,” Severus interrupts, barely biting back an exasperated sigh. “You don’t think that any of you three can walk up to him, right? Even if he lets you get out a word, he’s never going to believe you. And if he did, he would just capture you and lock you away. I will go, and I’m sure you’ll notice how it went soon enough.”

Potter bites his bottom lip and frowns, his head slightly tilted, and the gesture is so reminiscent of Lily that he averts his eyes and stares out of the window, where a myriad of colours are flashing through the dark.

“But – if he realizes that you knew all along, or at least for the last year – won’t he kill you?” Potter asks eventually, and Severus startles slightly at the obvious concern in his tone.

He doesn’t let it show and merely shrugs. “The Dark Lord is planning to kill me either way because of the allegiance of his wand. I might be able to argue that I just came onto the information through Dumbledore’s portrait here, and maybe he spares my life, after all. Maybe he doesn’t, but I never expected to live past this war, anyway.”

Potter holds his gaze for long moments before he nods. “Yeah, I know that feeling,” he mutters before straightening up. “Either way, thank you, Professor. I appreciate what you did for me.”

He gives a grudging nod and sweeps out of the office, following the tug in his mark and hoping that this will not go horribly wrong. Then again, it can’t get much worse than it already is.

* * *

** 18th June 1999 **

Severus is rather sure that his decision about a year ago was one of the less thought-through of his life.

Not because it didn’t work; after a lot of raging, screaming, and cursing, the Dark Lord eventually saw reason and, very grudgingly, agreed to meet with Potter. There was more shouting, threats, accusations, and eventually a number of Unbreakable Vows, a magically binding contract, and a speech to the Death Eaters and those from the light side.

It followed more screaming, accusations, and so on.

In the end, it was decided that the negotiations would happen between the Dark Lord and Potter, and for some reason, Severus was elected as the third party to keep an eye on everything and to mediate. He has no idea who came up with that, but within the last year, he’s developed more and more elaborate murder phantasies for the person in question because he’d take another ten years of teaching absolute dunderheads over another single hour of this any day.

Every single decision is like pulling teeth, and when he’s not busy with his murder phantasies, he sometimes thinks that they all would have been better of dead.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, the stances of both sides couldn’t be further apart and it’s not helped by both Potter and the Dark Lord being ridiculously stubborn, easy to anger, and full of spite.

Not that Severus is one to talk, but that’s really beside the point.

He’s rather sure that, more often than not, the two of them argue simply for the sake of arguing, to rile each other up, to come up with more and more ridiculous demands that are simply impossible to meet, and he has no idea where they actually take the nerves from to deal with this every other day.

That’s not to say that they didn’t make some progress. Potter somehow managed to install Granger as the responsible person for Muggle affairs in the Ministry, though he had to give up the management of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement to Corban Yaxley.

Creature laws have been improved, one of the few points that didn’t take months to work out, though that was more due to Potter claiming that Voldemort promised it, and is he really going to go back on that, and somehow he managed to maneuver the Dark Lord into a corner.

Severus would have praised him for it if the Dark Lord didn’t take his anger out on him later through more screaming, endless complaints and a very, very long list of tasks he was supposed to take care of.

Probably the biggest surprise is that the public is taking the whole thing comparably well. Of course, there has been an outrage for the first few weeks, another round of endless accusations that the saviour betrayed them all and so on, but when it became clear that the actual fighting was over, and that Potter wasn’t going to just bend over and let the Dark Lord take the reign, the people quickly fell back into their usual lives.

It’s both depressing on a philosophical level and relieving on a practical one. It’s stressful enough as it is, and that doesn’t even take into account the endless whining and complaints he has to listen to on a constant basis from Bellatrix, Lucius, and Draco.

Sometimes, he wonders how this became his life.

* * *

** 30th March 2000 **

Something is changing, and Severus watches it with dread sitting heavy in his stomach, and disbelief colouring his every thought.

It’s not an abrupt change, and it took him a while to put his finger to it, but when he finally understood it, he had to excuse himself and smoke his first cigarette in years.

At some point along the way, the tedious fights and arguments became something closer to banter, the endless needling and insults got an undercurrent of teasing, and more than once did he catch amusement glint in the Dark Lord’s eyes or Harry – _Potter_ laugh at something the Dark Lord said until he realized what he was doing and quickly replaced it with a scowl and another snide remark.

Severus isn’t sure that they’re even noticing it themselves yet, but the tension that used to fill up the room as soon as the two of them met shifted from aggression to… something else. He refuses to put a name on it because he’s sure that he’s going to seriously reconsider the ‘We’re all better off dead’- idea if he does. He just doesn’t want to go there. Really, _really_ not.

It’s not only that; Potter is actually starting to get on with some of the Death Eaters – or well, that might be a euphemism, but there are less murderous glares and daily death threats involved, and people from both sides are actually starting to work together.

Not that it’s a bad thing, but it’s still absolutely weird to him.

When, one day, he witnesses how Ha – Potter talks the Dark Lord down from cursing one of his Death Eaters for a mucked up mission to gather support in France, he doesn’t manage to keep his… disbelief, worry, revulsion, whatever this is, in any longer, and as soon as the current meeting is over, he drags him off into the Potions lab he has in the basement of Riddle Manor.

“Alright, Potter,” he sneers as soon as he locked the door behind himself and pushed the boy into a chair. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Potter frowns and runs a hand through his hair. “What do you mean, exactly? Don’t you think it’s a good thing that he doesn’t curse his followers so often anymore? I think besides from Bellatrix, nobody enjoys his Crucio overly much.”

“Don’t get smart with me,” he growls, then pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “What I mean is, don’t you think that it’s a bit strange how your relationship is developing?”

Potter coughs, a faint flush creeping over his cheeks and he averts his eyes. Seriously, how this boy managed to get this far in these negotiations with being so easy to read, Severus will never know. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he insists stubbornly because of course, he does.

“Do you want me to spell it out for you, then? The banter, the inside-jokes, the totally accidental and lingering touches – do you want me to go on?”

Potter’s face is bright red by now and he raises his hands in defeat. “Alright, alright, please stop for Merlin’s sake.”

Severus spares a fleeting thought to marvel at the difference in their own relationship. Usually, it’s something he prefers to ignore, but the two of them came a long way as well. Not that either of them would ever admit it, and they still have the whole push-and-pull, snark-and-banter thing going on, but he would be lying if he insisted that they actually still hate each other.

It’s a weird form of mutual respect with a healthy dose of exasperation, and Severus is still sure that if he doesn’t get killed in between the Dark Lord and Potter, he’s going to die very early because of a heart attack or simply too much stress. Case in point, the current topic.

“How can you… I mean, how can you be _fond_ of him? Do you realize what the two of you are doing is some kind of – “

“Don’t say it,” Potter interrupts quickly, but then he sighs and runs a hand through his hair again. “I know what you’re talking about and I also get where you’re coming from. Believe me, if there’s one thing I’m driving myself mad over, it’s this. But then… I know how it is, not to be loved. I know what it can do to a person, and this weird mind-link we have, all the things I know about him, and I just… I don’t know. It’s not like I will ever be able to actually forgive him for everything he has done, but maybe I’m able to leave it in the past. The last two years changed both of us, changed our world, and maybe it’s… at least time to leave it behind, to start new, whatever that means.”

There are a million things running through his head, but at the pensive, determined look on the boy’s face, he stays silent, and only gives a tired nod.

“I do hope for all of us that you know what you’re doing.”

* * *

** 12th August 2001 **

“Hey V, you should take a break,” Potter pipes up through a gap in the office door, and Severus sputters in shock at the careless nickname.

The Dark Lord doesn’t seem to mind, quite the opposite really, but he still gives Harry a fondly exasperated look. “Darling, the paperwork doesn’t do itself. You would know that if you’d ever do any of it yourself.”

“Well, wasn’t me who wanted to take over the world now, was it?” Harry grins and steps into the room.

Severus knows that he should be used to this by now. He’s not sure what to call it, but whatever relationship the two of them have going on, it’s a few months old already, but he just… can’t wrap his mind around it, try as he might.

“You too, Sev, you look pale as well. You should both take a break,” Harry says, taking a seat on the armrest of the Dark Lord’s chair and throwing one arm over his shoulders. “I cooked. You should hurry though if you don’t want to risk only getting the leftovers. I saw Bella, Rabastan and Rodolphus a few minutes ago.”

“Harry,” the Dark Lord sighs, but there’s a small smile tugging at his lips. “How many times do I have to tell you that the house-elves are perfectly able to – “

“I know, I know,” Harry interrupts, and Severus tenses on instinct, even though he rationally knows that the days where Harry has to fear the Dark Lord’s wrath are long since over. “I like to do it from time to time, you know that, too. Anyway, _take a break.”_

The Dark Lord actually rolls his eyes to that before he directs his attention back to Severus. “I think we can finish this stuff later. Or I just give it to Lucius. That will be all.”

It’s a clear dismissal, and when the Dark Lord wraps his arms around Harry’s waist and pulls him into his lap, he doesn’t waste another second to slip out of the room.

No matter how common these displays are by now, it’s still weird to him, and not for the first time does he send a myriad of silent apologies to Lily. At the same time, there’s some vindication in thinking about James Potter’s reaction to his son actually dating the Dark Lord.

It’s childish, but he’s self-aware enough to know that, when it comes to James Potter, he doesn’t care. Besides, nobody but he has to know.

* * *

** 5th December 2005 **

Only years upon years of experience keep Severus from jumping when the door to his lab bursts open, hits the wall with a loud bang and the Dark Lord strides in, his expression thunderous.

He quickly casts a Stasis Spell on his cauldrons and directs all his attention to the tall man. Regardless of how much Harry’s presence mellowed him out, an angry Dark Lord still has everyone _very_ cautious with their every move, and Severus is no exception. Self-preservation has always been one of his strongest suits, and he doesn’t fancy a Crucio on the best of days.

“Severus,” the Dark Lord hisses, his voice more sibilant than usual and a clear indication for his current annoyance. Over what, he has no idea, but he has a feeling that he’s going to find out. “Do you know where Harry is?”

Ah well. That would do it, and he carefully keeps his expression blank from all the thoughts of ‘Why in Merlin’s name do you come to me about that,’ and ‘All I want is to move into a hut far, far away from all of you and not deal with your shit.’

“I think he went to the Burrow, my Lord,” he says instead, cursing the boy six ways to Sunday within his mind.

“Again?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Do you know why he insists on being absent so often in recent weeks?” The Dark Lord asks, and his gaze is dangerously intense, red eyes gleaming with barely constrained fury while his long fingers trail over his wand.

The problem is, Severus does know. He also knows that Harry is going to make his life a living hell if he says a single word, and he really thought that his double-life would finally be over. Figures that it would be Harry Potter who would make it into a deal with no approachable end in sight.

“No, my Lord, I’m afraid not. Though I suspect that the slow reconciliation of recent months with those who he considers family might play a role in his increasingly frequent visits,” he says carefully. It’s not even a lie; while his closest friends took his relationship with the Dark Lord comparably well, that couldn’t be said for everyone.

Not that it’s much of a surprise, but he knows that it wore on Harry and that he’s glad that it’s finally getting better. Still, it’s not the actual reason and he kind of fears the day when the Dark Lord will realize his lie.

All he can hope for is that the actual reason and why he didn’t say anything about it will make him happy enough that Severus doesn’t get killed for it. Or that Harry will prevent the Dark Lord from doing so, which is probably more likely.

The Dark Lord doesn’t like surprises, after all, but it’s not like Harry has suddenly started listening to him, no matter how their relationship has improved somewhat over the years. Stubborn, self-righteous, little brat that he is.

“Very well, I hope for him that he knows what he’s doing.”

Yes, on that point, they are in agreement.

They have several conversations along those same lines over the next few weeks, and they both become more and more agitated, although for different reasons.

Severus does try to argue with Harry, pointing out that he shouldn’t risk provoking the obsessive side of the Dark Lord too much, to at least try and act like everything is normal, but Harry just waves him off, smiles, and tells him that it will work out in the end.

The Dark Lord, for his part, becomes increasingly short-tempered and angry, and Severus, as well as a few others who frequent the house regularly, bear witness more than once to the loud, aggressive screaming matches that always end with Harry leaving the house and the Dark Lord thrashing one room or another.

Severus wonders how it’s possible that he’s apparently the only one who takes notice of Harry’s amused, self-satisfied smile when he leaves. It’s like the brat revels in the fire he’s playing with, and Severus is sure that if he didn’t know already that the boy has an unhealthy addiction to adrenaline, he would definitely know now.

Christmas is, subsequently, a tense affair, even though Harry acts like he doesn’t notice the possessive gaze that’s following him around, the way the Dark Lord even glares and hisses at Bellatrix when she talks too long with Harry about his duelling training, and Severus is just glad that there’s, hopefully, only one week left of this madness.

He really, _really_ hopes that Harry knows what he’s doing.

When the 31st of December finally comes around, you could taste the tension in the air at Riddle Manor. The only thing between the Dark Lord’s wand and the life of his followers is his promise to Harry, and that’s wavering dangerously in recent days.

When it gets dark, he, Bellatrix and Lucius meet outside and prepare the garden exactly the way Harry instructed them to, and if Severus had any less self-control, he would be laughing madly at the irony of them setting up the site for Harry Potter’s proposal to the Dark Lord.

Harry calls it step four of his plan to make the Dark Lord enjoy his birthday. Severus has no idea what the other three steps were, and he’s certain he doesn’t want to know either. He’s still not convinced this won’t end in murder, but after years of their drama, he’s seriously too tired to care.

If the Dark Lord kills him in a fit of rage, they might all be better off.

But, even though he’d never admit it, one thing Harry said to him when Severus asked if this is really what he wants, still sticks with him. _"It's weird, how a person becomes beautiful in their own right when you start to love them. And it’s not like you don’t see their faults, or become blind to their character, but you just… know that it’s right, somehow. It just fits, for some reason.”_

And for what it’s worth, that’s very true for the two of them even if he would have never believed it, seven years ago. They balance each other out in a strange, incomprehensible way, and as they’re setting up the garden with a few lights, Warming Charms and a bottle of wine, he’s reminded of that once again. It’s simple but tasteful, and probably exactly what both of them like.

He has to physically drag Bella inside, who’s cackling and practically vibrating with excitement, and he doesn’t know what it says about Harry that he actually managed to catch her approval, somewhere along the way, without actually changing all that much.

They retreat to the kitchens, instruct the elves to prepare and set out all the things Harry cooked in advance, and Severus would be lying if he said that he didn’t breathe out in relief when, after an hour, the two of them walk into the dining room, hands linked and the Dark Lord’s face surprisingly soft.

There’s a thin silver band gleaming on his ring finger, and he nods towards the three of them before he gestures for them to take a seat at the table.

“Am I correct to assume that you knew about this in advance?” he asks when they all sit, and while Severus is rather hesitant to admit his involvement in this, Bellatrix, of course, has no such qualms.

The Dark Lord’s face is unreadable, but his hand is still linked with Harry’s on the table, and after keeping an impenetrable mask for another few beats, he gives them a small smile. “I am most pleased that you helped my fiancée with the preparations, then, though I hope you do know that this is the only occasion where I tolerate you lying to me.”

There’s an unmistakable warning in his voice and Severus bows his head.

“V,” Harry sighs, rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “It’s your birthday, and we just got engaged. ‘No threats at the dinner table’ applies even more than usual,” he says, and Severus quickly hides his grin behind his goblet of wine.

Many people might think that it’s the Dark Lord who has the power here, might even think that Harry was forced, or coerced, or got manipulated, but that couldn’t be further from the actual truth.

It’s surprising, or shocking even, but somehow it works between them. Harry managed to keep his ideals, managed to keep the worse urges of the Dark Lord in check to some degree, and no matter how utterly weird the whole thing still is to Severus, on the best of days – he somehow just knows that neither of them could be really happy with anybody else.

Equals indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! <3 I had a lot of fun writing this, especially trying my hand at describing their relationship from an outside-perspective, and I hope you liked how it turned out. 
> 
> Happy Holidays! <3


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